The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-10-18
CRIMINAL COURTS AND THE LAW.

CRIMINAL COURTS AND THE Law.
| The conditions of modern society are such
| that in all cities there seems to be constant
warfare between the forces of good and evil.
In sense this is true always and everywhere,
| but it seems to find peculiar illustration in
cities where the best and worst classes OF
society are gathered in large numbers and
brought into close contact. The best and
| the worst forces Of modern civilization exist
| side by side in all large cities aud find there
| their highest development. The result is a
| never-ending struggle and irrepressible
| conflict, in which now one and now the other
seems to have the advantage. On the one
| side arrayed, not only all the friends of
religion and of virtue, but all the friends of
law and order and good government, and on
the other side the opposite forces The latter
includes, besides the habtual practitioners
of vice, still larger number who sympa-
thize with them openly or secretly, or who
profit directly or indirectly by their practices.
These, with the rabble and the idle unem-
ployed classes, make up a large force, always
ready to be organized and modified in oppo-
sition to the enforcement of any law for the
suppression of vice and crime. Against these
are the friends of law and order with the law
and its machinery.
These forces exist in Indianapolis, and this
irrepressible conflict is going here now
and all the time. In making this assertion
we not decrying the city, but simply stat
ing fact. The conditions referred to exist
in every city of any size, and this city is no
exception. If there were no such conflict
the police could be discharged, constables and
justices dispensed with, grand juries done
away with, and criminal courts abolished.
This city is worse than others, and no
worse now than it has been some times before
Yet it must be admitted that for some time
past the spirit of lawlessness has been very
active and aggressive, and vice very bold, if
= not on the increase. 1t will always be so if
vigilance is relaxed or the forces of law and
order are not the alert
The result of the recent election shows that
in any test involving these issues the friends
of law and order are decidedly in a majority.
The number of people who in favor of
the enforcement of law against the num-
Der of those who would violate or ignore it, is
very much larger even, than the majority
given for the law and order candidate tor
Mayor would indicate And by their verdict
at the polls they gave notice at once to the
lawless classes that the laws must and shall
be enforced, and to the officers of the law
that they are expected to that it is DONE
We have said that for some time past the
spirit of lawlessness has been very aggressive
and vice very bold. We are not sure if crime
has been on the increase, but the tendency.
certainly is in that direction. There is no
standing still in such matters. A communi-
ty is either growing better or worse. There
was time some years ago when matters grew
so bad in this city, vice and crime SO bold
that the people made loud demand for re-
form. They elected for criminal judge a
who knew the evil to be grappled with,
afraid to do it. This was the late Judge
George II. Chap man. He was not long out
of the army, and he administered criminal
law with the promptness frmness and brave
ny of soldier. From the day he assumed
the Office of criminal judge he became terror
to evil-doers. Under his administration the
law was not played with but enforced. A
penaly meant punishment. Criminals and
awbreakers were treated as enemies of soci-
ETY., and criminal lawyers who made a
business of defending them as not much
better The lawless classes suddenly
discovered that the law meant something. |
The result was an immediate improvement of |
affairs and rapid publication of the moral |
atmosphere. 1t is about time for another |
vigorous administration of criminal law.
Things have been running at loose ends, with |
a decided down-hill tendency for good |
while, mainly for the lack of brave and |
nervy enforcement of law. No man has |
right to sit as criminal judge who has a
particle of sympathy with the criminal class
es or a particle of hesitation in applying and
enforcing the penalties that the law puts on
crime. There have been such criminal judges.
They have not earned nor deserved popular
approval or respect and never can. Above
all other issues and lessons of the late election
was that the people demand vigorous en-
forcement of the law from each and every
public official charged with that duty.
THE Seymour Republican says the postmas-
ter of that place, having ascertained that GER